That was one of the options discussed at a community meeting with Education Department officials Wednesday. Other ideas included creating a new school at the building, attendees said.

"Our goal is to get the children from [P.S.] 182 into the new school building," said CEC member Kathryn Thome. The current location is "an insufficient space for young children because the classrooms are very small."

It also lacks an outdoor playground, she said.

P.S. 182 has grades pre-K through 2 and sends graduates to P.S. 86, a grade 3-through-6 program, also in Jamaica.

CEC members and education officials are looking into turning both schools into pre-K-5 or K-5, Thome said. This would help alleviate the persistent overcrowding problems, she added.

"It's better for the kids because there's less transition," Thome said.

The Education Department did not respond to requests for comment.

P.S. 182 Principal Andrew Topol said he supports adding more grades. "Going pre-K through 5 would be a tremendous step forward," he said. "It would allow us to do a lot more."

His students and staff currently waste time shuffling between the school's three buildings, he said. Two of the facilities are on the same block and can be accessed through an underground tunnel. The third, an annex, is several blocks away, he said.

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But moving into the new building wouldn't necessarily eliminate his space shortage.

The new facility is slated to hold about 665 children. P.S. 182 is already up to almost 900 students, Topol said.

"We'd probably still have to keep the annex in some capacity," he said.

P.S. 182 parent Tania Gonzalez, 32, of Jamaica, said two buildings are still better than three.

"Right now the kids are jam-packed in the current building," said Gonzalez, who has a daughter in the first grade.